Railroad signal and gate



' B. HEMPSTEAD. I RAILROAD SIGNAL AND GATE.

No. 243,892. Patented July 5, 1881.

. wrmgss s $12M? 4 ATTORNEY UNITED ST TES PATENT OFFICE.

BEALL HEMPSTEAD, OF LITTLE ROCK, ARKANSAS.

RAILROAD SIGNAL AND GATE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 243,892, dated July 5, 1881.

Application filed May 24, 1879.

To all whom it may concern Be it known that I, BEALL HEMPSTEAD, of Little Rock,in the county of Pulaski and State of Arkansas, have invented a new, and valu able Improvement in Railroad Signals and Gates; and I do hereby declare that the following is a full, clear, and exact description of the construction and operation of the same, reference being had to the annexed drawings, making a part of this specification, and to the letters and figures of reference marked thereon.

Figure l of the drawings is a representation of a perspective view of my improved railroad signal and gate, and Fig. 2 is a sectional detail.

This invention has relation to improvements in railway gates or signals operated by the passage of the trains; and the nature of the invention consists in certain novel combinations of parts used, as will be hereinafter more fully set forth. 7

In the annexed drawings, the letter A desi gnates the rails of an ordinary track laid upon ties at, in the usual manner and B is a bridge or crossing containing a roadway across said track, and constructed, in the usual way, across the track.

The object of my invention is mainly to indicate to a vehicle at a certain point the approach of a train,in sufficienttime to obviate all danger of collision, by means of safety-gates and alarms working in connection therewith, and intermediate mechanisms operated by a stationary down-projecting arm on the front or cow-catcher of the engine.

At a distance from the crossing, and closing a gap in a fence or inclosure, is a gate, 0; or it may be located independent of the fence, alongside the track, hinged to an upright post, I). This gate has projecting from its lower edge, beyond the post, a metallic arm, 0, having an eye in its end for the attachment of a chain, d. This chain extends through a guide, 6, on the adjoining end of one of the ties, is carried past the gate through a second guide, 6, on a tie, and, being extended upward, passes through a loop or guide, 6 and is secured to the power end of an angular crank-lever, D, having its fulcrum on a tie of the track some distance in advance of the gate aforesaid. This lever has a rectangular bend, f, next its fulcrum, a straight portion, f, at right angles to said bend and extending horizontally under the track, and

an oblique portion f", at right an gles to branch f. Normally the gate extends across the track, and the bend f reaches above the bearing of the rail close thereto, so that it is borne down upon by the downward-projecting arm on the front or cow-catcher of the engine, causing the gate to be swung parallel to the track, and allowing the train to pass. The chain d is carried from the eye of arm 0 through a loop of a horizontal arm, g, at right angles to the rail and gate, and is extended by means of rods or stout wires g through a series of guides, 9 to within a certain distance of the crossing. Here it is extended toward the middle of the track by means of a chain, g, and engaged with a short vertically-vibrating lever, It. Bein g carried beyond the said lever, the chain or wire rope is carried through a guide, and, bein g carried obliquely across the track, (usually under the crossing-platform,) is connected to a lever, j, rigidly secured to a rock-shaft,j, arranged vertically and having its bearin gs in a casing, I

Extending out at right angles from the shaft 3' across the road, whereof the crossing-platform is a continuation, is a barrier or guard, G, vibrating horizontally through the slots 8 in the casing F. The leverj also vibrates in unison with the barrier Gr through slot 8 in said casing. The barrier G engages by means of a suitable rack a ratchet, t, on one end of a drum, it, having at its other end a head, i, having a number of tongues or strikers, 1, secured thereto,which strikers, as the barrier is swung across the road under circumstances hereinafter set forth, come in succession against a gong, m, producing an alarm during the swinging of the barrier. From lever j the chain is extended through guides 12 to the side of the track, and is permanently secured to a horizontally-vibrating lever, L, pivoted to a convenient tie, and the leverLis provided with a shoe or catch, 0, just inside of the track-rail.

The operation of the device is as follows, it being premised that the usual position of the barrier is at right angles to the line of the track and the gate extending across the same: The train, coming from the direction indicated by the arrow in Fig. 1, depresses lever D, and

' through its chains or rods swings the said gate .out of the way of the train parallel to the track, pulls to a perpendicular position the vibrating lever h, and the said barrier across the cross-road at the same time sounding an alarm. The train continuing to move on, the stationary arm on the front of the locomotive, strik ing the catch 0 on top of lever, as D, causes the gate to be swung across the track, the lever h to return to its horizontal position, and the barrier to swing out of the road, leaving it free after the passage of the train for vehicles. The sounding of the alarm notifies the occupants of vehicles that a train is approaching in advance of its arrival at night, and thus obviates a frequent source of danger and fatal accidents to life and property. The'cranklevers, chain connections, rods, and guides are designed to be used also from the other direction from that indicated by the arrow to open and close the barrier and gate and work the vibrating lever.

In use the vibrating lever h may be located not only within the track, and having the lever of the bell-alarm on front of locomotive, but it may be pivoted to upright post without the track, and having the lever for the bellalarm on top of locomotive. For change of direction in the attachment I will use a chain or wire rope passing over friction-rollers, so as to allow the freest possible movement, and will also use rollers with the guides, if I should so elect.

What I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

1. In an automatic railroad gate and barrier, the combination, with the track A, having crossing B, and at a distance therefrom a gate, 0, of an angular lever, D, fulcrumcd on a tie of the road-bed and actuated by a stationary arm on the front of the locomotive, a flexible chain, d, connecting said lever and gate, connecting-rods 9, guides 9 chain 9 vibrating lever h, and suitable bell-triggers, with gong m and barrier Gr upon the rock-shaft j and lever j, constructed and operating substantially as and for the purposes set forth.

2. The combination, with a railway-barrier adapted to be swung across a track, of a drum, 70, having a ratchet, i, engaged by said barrier, and a head, 1', provided with strikers, and a gong, m, arranged in reach of said strikers, whereby as the barrier is being swung an alarm is struck upon the gong, substantially as specified.

In testimony that I claim the above I have hereunto subscribed my name in the presence of two witnesses.

BEALL HEMPSTEAD.

Witnesses:

Jivo. O. PEAY, O. T. WALKER. 

